My nightmarish experience with Rad Power.

[sorofsh]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share my experience with everyone, to release my frustration but to also warn others.

I got the bike Rad Rover Plus Step-Over beginning February. I took two rides on it, after that, it simply stopped working. When I put the battery in, the headlight and backlights flash and nothing else happens. The bike does not turn on, and nothing changes when pressing the buttons. At this point I thought I was just unlucky, some part got messed up whatever, I can wait two weeks. Well, the bike still does not work... so it has been sitting in my house for 2 months, broken.

Here is how the process goes with the costumer service. I call in, they send parts that take 1.5 weeks to get here, the parts don't work, I call in again, 1.5 weeks for new parts, they don't work rinse and repeat. I have replaced the the controller, both screens, the harness and now I am waiting for the battery mount replacement. It seems to me they clearly do not know what is wrong and are just sending me a replacement bike piece by piece... Not only that, but they keep sending me parts for the WRONG bike. I got parts for Step-Through TWICE, which are not compatible with Step-Over. Hence, each time this happens I essentially wait 3 weeks for a single part.

I was very excited for my first e-bike but this is just sad.

 

[DavidRvR]

Sorry to hear your terrible dealings.. Sounds like the battery to me but just a guess

Lectric bikes are half the price.

 

[JohnJohn]

I hate waiting for anything. I'd find a shop or someone nearby with another unit and start hotswapping to find out the issue.

 

[Asher]

Don't they have a local service network?

You ought to just see about returning the bike.

 

[DavidRvR]

Lectric only offers mini bikes.
Not Rad Rover replacement.

Its a cheaper replacement at half the price and just as good.. If not better in this case.

 

[m@Robertson]

Its a cheaper replacement at half the price and just as good.. If not better in this case.

I recently asked my Local Bike Shop - who will work on any ebike unlike many local shops - whether they had any horror stories or feelings on the Rad bikes. They thought they were adequate at best but not particularly bad. Then my contact, the head mechanic asked another guy in the shop - "what was the name of that brand where the bikes are so bad?"

"Lectric"

Oh yeah, those things are really *rough* was his nice way of putting it.

Neither brand is one I'd pay money for.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I'm very happy with my 2018 Rad Rover. Customer service has varied from okay to great, with the low end being mostly about their attitude about keeping inventory and about shipping. I don't understand why they can't ship the same day or the next day (except for their retarded inventory issues) and why they won't ship overnight. (I don't think they will, anyway.) This goes back to before all the now infamous worldwide supply chain issues. At least in this case they are working with you and sending you free replacement parts, which they certainly should. Given their over-the-phone service model, they pretty much have to make best guesses as to your problem, which how they sell bikes inexpensively. (No such thing as a free lunch. Pay now or pay later and/or put up with slow parts shipments.

With very little to go on, I sort of agree with the idea of this being a battery issue. It may not actually be the battery itself though. If you haven't already, clean all the contacts and put some dielectric grease on ell of them. Could be as simple as a tiny bit of patina on one of the contacts.

TT

 

[Ebiker01]

"New 2 ebikes" AND "non working Ebike" are actually synonyms...

Advice to new members that are new to ebikes:
Try learning/studying EBR forum for a few years , then BUY your NEW ebike ! After it breaks, you will fix it very fast and easy.

 

[chunk]

When I was shopping for my first "budget" ebike I was almost set on Rad, but I had a few questions for customer service first. They took weeks to respond and usually didn't answer my question. Because of that I crossed them off my list. While researching e bikes in general, I found that a popular motor manufacturer was Bafang so I thought they were a good bet. I went through a list of components, such as the battery and controller, etc., that were common, and not propriety so parts could be sourced easily on eBay or elsewhere. Anyway I found an ebike that was a collection of popular parts and bits, and other than a brake caliper that needed replacement (seller reimbursed me), it's been great since April 2021. But I'm confident if I have a problem I will be able to find a replacement part easily. On low dollar ebikes you need to be mechanically inclined (you are the mechanic) and stay away from propriety parts.

 

[Forever Blue]

Oh no, sorry for your ordeal! We've had a huge ordeal the whole last year w/ our Motiv Stashes (described our huge ordeal in that section of this board) & are planning to buy a pair of RadMinis 2 & 4. I don't know if we could handle another pair of lemons if it turns out the RadMinis we'll soon be getting are lemons too.

 

[PedalUma]

I think that @chunk had or has the right idea. A replacement charger for one of my bikes is less than $20 from Staples, Target, Amazon, eBay... Other parts are similar. I make my own so I am not left waiting in line or online. I have a bunch of projects going but decided today to make a new bike for me. It will be a Giant Liv men's bike with a mid-drive and a continuously variable enviolo gear hub. It will ride like the new $4,000 Como. Here is a Giant Liv woman's bike I recently made electric with external gears. It was $750 before conversion and feels just like a Como.

 

[tomjasz]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share my experience with everyone, to release my frustration but to also warn others.

I got the bike Rad Rover Plus Step-Over beginning February. I took two rides on it, after that, it simply stopped working. When I put the battery in, the headlight and backlights flash and nothing else happens. The bike does not turn on, and nothing changes when pressing the buttons. At this point I thought I was just unlucky, some part got messed up whatever, I can wait two weeks. Well, the bike still does not work... so it has been sitting in my house for 2 months, broken.

Here is how the process goes with the costumer service. I call in, they send parts that take 1.5 weeks to get here, the parts don't work, I call in again, 1.5 weeks for new parts, they don't work rinse and repeat. I have replaced the the controller, both screens, the harness and now I am waiting for the battery mount replacement. It seems to me they clearly do not know what is wrong and are just sending me a replacement bike piece by piece... Not only that, but they keep sending me parts for the WRONG bike. I got parts for Step-Through TWICE, which are not compatible with Step-Over. Hence, each time this happens I essentially wait 3 weeks for a single part.

I was very excited for my first e-bike but this is just sad.

I’m in the camp that thinks you got what you bought. They and their ilk make YOU the warranty repair mechanic. Years of customer service taught me that n00bs make A LOT of troubleshooting errors. So many times I found customers without basic tools like a multimeter and wattmeter. $40 for both. And impossible to sort issues without.

 

[PedalUma]

This bike started to have some problems that were left up to the customer to take care of and not the 800#.

 

[Asher]

This bike started to have some problems that were left up to the customer to take care of and not the 800#.

Lol why does he stand so close to the flaming battery?!?

 

[tomjasz]

This bike started to have some problems that were left up to the customer to take care of and not the 800#.

UPP battery!

 

[PedalUma]

Lol why does he stand so close to the flaming battery?!?

First off; How do you explain inexplicable behaviors? I can't. I have no idea! Because the guy is an idiot? He was hypnotized by a Vegas Magician into thinking that he is a marshmallow? It looks like what happened is the battery case was breached on the underside by the mounting plate, shorting one of the cells. That could happen if the hex cap bottle boss screws or at least one of them had a head that was too high and the guy forced the battery on anyway cracking the case. Here is a low profile head for comparison. I only posted it for its Schadenfreude entertainment value.

 

[m@Robertson]

Lol why does he stand so close to the flaming battery?!?

He did everything exactly right (assuming he isn't the bonehead who caused the fire in the first place, which the rumor mill said he did when this first hit the airwaves a couple years ago). Most internet experts will tell you to use a chemical extinguisher, and sagely note water will not extinguish the fire. Thats right, except water cools the cells adjacent to the flaming ones and prevents or at least helps to prevent a thermal runaway. Which is another word for explosion.

This guy didn't save his battery but he saved his backyard from hosting a full on battery explosion and intense fire.

Tesla's emergency responder procedure manual specifies that firefighters use 'copious amounts of water' in case of a battery fire. The same is true of Nissan and others who make BEVs.

Now that Ford sells the Mustang E, I decided to look up their procedure. Sure enough they say the same thing. This image is from the current Tesla Model S Emergency Responders Guide.

 

[tomjasz]

First off; How do you explain inexplicable behaviors? I can't. I have no idea! Because the guy is an idiot? He was hypnotized by a Vegas Magician into thinking that he is a marshmallow? It looks like what happened is the battery case was breached on the underside by the mounting plate, shorting one of the cells. That could happen if the hex cap bottle boss screws or at least one of them had a head that was too high and the guy forced the battery on anyway cracking the case. Here is a low profile head for comparison. I only posted it for its Schadenfreude entertainment value.
View attachment 118754

I believe he shorted the pack. Those were most likely glued packs. Hand welded and steel connectors nickel coated and a $5 featureless BMS. It was a UPP battery .

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

This bike started to have some problems that were left up to the customer to take care of and not the 800#.

@My Alien LIfe--RE: Your Search for a Sub-$300.00 ebike battery:

I don't believe the battery in this video is under $300.00, but this video contains some valuable tips about keeping an out of control battery fire, cool; while each cell goes through the process of shorting out & burning up.

 

[tomjasz]

.

Obviously water is not a good option.
What would you do?

Lay the bike and put sand?
Maybe every ebike shop should be prepared for this, just in case.

Small lithium-ion batteries can be doused with water because they contain little lithium metal. Lithium-metal battery fires can be put out with a Class D fire extinguisher. Larger battery fires are best handled with a foam extinguisher, CO2, ABC dry chemical, powder graphite, copper powder or sodium carbonate.Jan 7, 2022.

A lithium fire rated fire blanket. Charging in a protective shell that can vent is wise.

A strorage cabinet with heat and smoke detectors is my way. But I have a fire blanket coming. They smother the fire quite effectively. You’d need a lot of sand, not a very workable solution.
https://www.avdfire.com/ see videos.